Greek Mezes

u need fried lima beans and okra in olive oil and vinegar. Both turned out tasty but the okra dish was the stand-out dish which, when eaten with fresh white bread from the oven, it will send u right to meze heaven.

Here are the fried lima beans. These were altered slightly from the original recipe which called for egg batter to make a crispy coating. I used olive oil instead. I'm sure the egg batter would have resulted in a crispier fried bean but as I dislike the taste of egg, I thought I'd experiment.

1. Soak the dried lima beans overnight. In the morning, boil them until they are soft. Drain.

2. Dust the beans with flour mixed with a little salt and pepper. Next coat the dusted beans with egg batter (or olive oil if you want to make it eggless like my version). Finally, dust the beans a third time with bread crumbs.

3. Heat olive oil and fry the beans until crispy. I used a wok which worked well and fried the beans a small batch at a time.

My next dish was okras in olive oil and vinegar, which is a superstar dish if I've ever tasted one. The subtle tartness combined with a pinch of sugar rendered these into the perfect savory dish to mop up with a bit of freshly baked white bread. Drool!

1. Prepare the okra by washing it and coating it with a small amount of white wine vinegar and salt. No need to drench it. Allow the vinegar to penetrate by allowing the okra to sit for 30 mins in its vinegar coating.

2. Begin by frying an onion, diced, in olive oil. Then add your washed okra and fry briefly in the oil.

4. Add enough water so that the okra is nearly submerged. Simmer the okra mixture for 30-45 minutes or until the majority (but not all) of the liquids are gone. Serve hot, warm, or cold with fresh white bread that can soak up the excess liquids from this dish.